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Wednesday, October 19, 2016

The weather? What can we say, the weather in Middle Tennessee has been outstanding. This nice weather could take a turn at any moment, but until then folks are fishing! Cory called and wanted to get himself and his father Eddie in the casting braces before the weather made that turn. So we marked a date on the calendar and hoped we would have a good day, like we had last year when they came to fish.

The rods were rigged with nymphs of a couple different varieties. There were a couple spares in the rod holders just in case, but the guys wouldn't need a change on this day. With very little coaching they were into fish before we were 20 feet from the ramp. It was casting, mending and catching in record time. We had the skunk very early on this float.

With fish caught early in the float we were then hunting quality. The traffic on the river was tolerable, but also borderline for chasing quality fish. Cory was working just off the bank when he pulled up with a quick hookset. After stinging some Hatchery Brats to get him in the groove Cory came up with a nice brown. What is hard to see from the photo are the other folks who were anchored on the other side of the river. Yep, Cory got their attention right away. Cory, nice work...and there were more to come.

The food has been plentiful and the color on most fish has been good. The rainbows have been gaining color all year and have been fighting well for the most part. The low generation, in my opinion, has helped with the health of the fish. Eddie and Cory were both taking advantage of the good conditions with a few slow periods thrown in just to keep us adjusting techniques...and depths.

Last Year Was Last Year- We came to a particularly "fishy area" of the river. As we pulled off to the side of the flow we made an adjustment to depth and Eddie dropped the fly in the feeding lane. It wasn't long before the rod was coming up and the line was coming tight on another fish. This fish pulled a little harder than the others and the rod bent a more. Eddie kept the correct angle on the rod and kept the right leverage on the fish. The fish made some strong runs. It tried to shake the hook that was lodged just in the upper lip. Finally the fish slowed and Eddie slid the brown in the waiting net. That's when I recalled last year Eddie pulled a nice brown from the very same spot. This trip was a pleasant way to spend the day. The guys got on the boat and went right to work casting, adjusting ends and of course setting hooks. Overall the float was enjoyable, as most are, and even somewhat relaxing. Sure we worked for fish at times while others just seemed to come with ease. Good weather and good company sure helped with the enjoyment of the day and there was no doubt Cory and Eddie came to fish.

If you are a seasoned angler or have never picked up a fly rod and want to set up a day on the river e-mail or call/text 615-796-5143 to book a day on the water. For additional booking information see our Homepage and to see the latest fishing report click here.

Saturday, October 15, 2016

The skies were clear and so was their schedule. So Laura, who had been on the drifter a couple times before, finally brought her husband Nate to experience a day of mending drills enjoy a day on the drifter. Nate and Laura were also looking for a good way to spend an anniversary. It wasn't long and there we were floating along on a nice fall-like day while trying to catch a few fish.

The skies were clear but the water was stained. The fish were still eating as we floated nymphs into their feeding lanes. Laura was dialed-in from the start with good casts and presentations to match. Nate and I worked briefly on presentation and he quickly came up to speed. When we all settled-in the fish came to the net with regularity.

We made stops at what are generally considered the high value areas. The fish would respond to the right presentation, but anything with drag would get left in the drift. The numbers were running up with seemingly every cast at times. The action helped to make the morning pass by quickly. The afternoon would be different. At lunch I let our happy couple know the afternoon would be slower. Most of the better fishing is in the upper portion of the river right now and the fishing normally gets tougher later in the day. The oars dipped into the water and with a couple oar strokes the current picked us up and moved us downstream. We were still in sight of where we ate lunch and Nate was already producing some fish. Laura was bringing fish to the net as well and everyone was full of smiles and laughter. It was quite fun to spend the day with these two.

Later the fishing slowed but we had one more pool, one more real opportunity one more...well you get it. So we drifted into the pool and our happy angler's set up for long drifts. We fished along the small rock bluff. The flies were drifting along and we were at the end of the bluff. We were making an adjustment on Laura's nymph and she told Nate to cast just upstream of the old blow down. Nate, being the thoughtful husband he is, did what he was told.Nate got good line speed and dropped the fly upstream, then it settled into the slow flow of the feeding lane. Nate and Laura were paying attention to the drift and Nate set the hook as he had done many times on this day. The fish pulled back and bent the rod. Nate kept just the right amount of bend in the rod throughout the fight and kept the odds in his favor. When it was time Nate brought the fish to the net. We were all happy with this one. The plan worked and we moved on to catch a few more fish before the day would come to an end. The next day, the conditions were completely different. But, I saw Laura and Nate on the river again. They were using some of the same methods we used the day before and some of the methods they knew prior to that day. It was still early in the day but both Laura and Nate already had better reports than other anglers on the river. I'd say they found a good way to spend an anniversary.

If you are a seasoned angler or have never picked up a fly rod and want to set up a day on the river e-mail or call/text 615-796-5143 to book a day on the water. For additional booking information see our Homepage and to see the latest fishing report click here.

Sunday, October 2, 2016

The leaves of the trees along the river that provided shade throughout the hot months are getting some color. The brooks and browns are getting their color as well. Our clothing has gone from shorts and breathable shirts, to waders and a couple layers to keep warmer in the morning and evening. Fall has arrived.

The rivers have been fishing well. Most every trip has produced good numbers of fish with some nice fish thrown in to keep things interesting. We have been fishing with several beginners and they have been much improved at the end of the day. To all those who have floated on the F/V Southeastern Fly, so far, this year...Thank You! For those with dates still on the schedule take a few minutes on the days leading to your trip to practice accuracy casting up to 30 feet. Accuracy is much more important than casting 90 feet of line. Practice in the back yard has been paying dividends while in the casting braces.

The Caney Fork River- We continue to see clear water. If you go back through the years of fishing reports you will notice the water in the previous years has been stained throughout September and October. The water from the sluice, in those years, has been off-color compared to the water coming through the generators now. We count this as a blessing especially when sight fishing. If the weather holds and we don't get a big rain event we should see this clearer water continue through the time the Army Corps turns off the sluice.

The bug life on the Caney Fork is improving with the usual hatches of the mighty midges and some nice Mayfly hatches to catch the angler's eye. The fish are looking up, but not past the surface film in most cases. Anglers who find dry fly action should make the most of it when they stumble into a that situation. Midges and nymphs have been the grocery of choice for most fish. A well presented nymph will bring'em to the net more often than any other grocery in the cart. The river is getting a lot of attention right now so don't be surprised to see many other anglers at all the usual spots.

The Elk River- The water clarity on the Elk right now is about a foot. The lack of rain has turned the water color from clear throughout Spring to a more green color now. The fish in the upper river are still looking for food though. There has been minimal rain over the past several months in this part of the state. This little tailwater could use about a four hour period of generation just to flush debris and take away some of the weeds in the lower section. What is the good news?

The good news is the fish remember our flies. If you fish this tailwater, I would suggest nymphs. The word accuracy comes back to mind for this river as well. With the off-colored water comes the need to place the fly right on their nose. Nymphs have been working better on this river than anything else, but drag on the nymph is evil for this river. So bring patience and a clean presentation.

There is a quick report from the rower's bench. The musky are waiting to be chased. So, when the water level gets just right the F/V Southeastern Fly will see a sight change of venue for month or two. Once real cold weather is here we will be back on the tailwaters looking for the "shad hatches". Angler's are already on "Will Call" for both of these events. Hope everyone has been enjoying themselves as much as we have been enjoying ourselves.

If you are a seasoned angler or have never picked up a fly rod and want to set up a day on the river e-mail or call/text 615-796-5143 to book a day on the water. For additional booking information see our Homepage and to see the latest fishing report click here.